Times Ten
by Tensei Kano
Summary: -DISCONTINUED PROJECT- My life has always been pretty good, I see no reason to lie about Not perfect, of course, but Shibuya's always been the place for Then everything hits the fan when I take the proverbial
1. Chapter 1: Life

_Chapter 1: Life_

Shibuya. Ahh, have I ever been so glad to be back. The multi-cultural sights, smells and sounds never cease to put my right at home. On a clear night like this, the air tasted of electricity, street food and cool, crisp reality. There was no other place in the world that could replicate that feeling. Shibuya was reality in a city. And my home.

Even as I stared across the overcrowded Scramble Crossing, I can make out the different groups of people, almost like cliques in high school. There, with the odd, black-and-white face paint, and an orange fake fox-tail sticking out her overly-short mini skirt. She was probably one of many fashion freaks in Shibuya. Fashion was practically a second nature to this town, and it wasn't that much a stretch to see pop-culture costumes as well. Then we had the normal teens, the group of random high-school girls, all trying to act cute and earn brownie points from a group of similarly aged guys... Ah, some properly normal working folk as well. There were probably seven more groups I could pick out, but that would be rambling. Oh hey, make that six, those skaters over there could be one.

Oh, of course, I haven't introduced myself. My name is Tensei Kano, I'm 16 years old, with messy, black hair and dark-blue eyes. I'm pretty tall, thank god, because if I wasn't, my friends would probably take advantage of me and drag me around like a baby-sitter, rather than a friend.

I'd been visiting my mom in Hokkaido for the past two weeks. She never got to move here properly, since her work tied her down there, so I was pretty much living here without my parents, and I had been for about four years now. But that's not to say I live alone.

"Hello, Ten-chan!" A female voice came from behind as a hand ruffled through my already-messy black hair. I slapped the hand out of my hair and pivoted on the spot to face a short girl, looking a little younger than me. Black, long hair, Cat-shaped hairpin, simple black skirt and not-so-simple white branded T-shirt that made her look like a walking advertisement.

"Do you have to call me that?" I replied without smiling. She sticks out her tongue at me, then laughs aloud. Normally, the laughter is loud enough to fill one whole floor of a house, but in the night air, that laugh is lost in a million other sounds.

This girl was Yuri Yamashita. She was actually only a year younger than me, but you wouldn't have been able to tell. I'm pretty sure a waiter wouldn't think twice about bringing over a kids menu to her. Her mom was great friends with mine, and four years ago, when I transferred schools here, Yuri's mom, or Sanako-san, as she told me to refer to her as, very kindly offered to let me stay with them. Since Yuri is an only child, Sanako thought I'd be great company for her daughter.

And ever since then, my status when Yuri was present seemed to change from 'The guy who's living with us' to 'Big brother' to 'the draggable pet boy who's basically my toy.' I didn't really care too much I guess, that she sometimes dragged me off with her to lunch or with her friends. She's been doing that more and more lately, but that was probably coincidence.

"Oi, Ten-chan!" Her sharpish tone shakes me out of my thoughts. As soon as I focus though, her tone softens again. "So how was Hokkaido?"

"It was alright, I guess. The rock melon there is really good this time of year. In fact, my mom kept one whole melon for you guys, its in my case now." I gesture towards my bags casually.

Yuri smiled like a fox at that. I'd never quite known someone who loved sweet fruit as much as Yuri. Sanako had once told me of the time that she brought Yuri to Hakodate Market, where she consumed a total of 12 slices of rock melon in one afternoon.

"Don't eat it too quickly, yeah? I don't want you to miss school if you get food poisoning or whatever." I warned. She smiled cheekily and rolled her eyes.

"You can't get food poisoning from something that isn't poison." She retorted. "I won't believe that a good fruit could do anything but good to me." I sighed. It was impossible to argue with her broken logic, so why bother?

Yuri might have seemed slightly spoiled now, but she was actually really well mannered. She just felt close enough to me to show herself openly. As if on cue, she took my suitcase as we walked down one of the many streets of Shibuya, each as unique as the next.

"So how was school, this past week?" I asked her, to keep the conversation going.

"Oh, it's been alright. You know me, I'm always on top of my work." She smirked not-so-subtly. I sighed. She'd always been one to point out my faults by comparing them to her strengths.

Soon, we made it to the apartment building. It was above a very famous Ramen shop that served what I knew as the best ramen in Shibuya. The man running the shop was actually a good friend of Yuri's father. He didn't use the living quarters above his stall, and so made it a gift to the Yamashitas.

Yuri opened the door, and we walked in together. "I'm home!" Yuri greeted her mother, who was on the couch, folding clothes while watching TV.

"Welcome back!" Sanako-san smiled from the couch, folding a large pile of clothes at the same time. "Ah, Tensei! How was Hokkaido?"  
"So-so. A little too cold for me, but a really fresh feel, as usual, I guess. Oh, speaking of fresh, before I forget, my mom got this for you." I lowered my case to the floor and opened it, then drew out a small cardboard box. Sanako-san took the box and read the label.

"Fresh Hokkaido melon? Oh my goodness, your mother really is too kind!" She gasped aloud. I didn't even have to look at Yuri's face to picture the sly grin of greed on it. "I think we should cut it tomorrow and eat it, we don't want it to stay around too long. It's best when it's fresh, after all!" She handed the box to Yuri. "Yuri, put that in the fridge, will you?" Yuri held the box and went into the back.

"Well, I'll go unpack, then shower and turn in for the night, if that's okay, Sanako-san." I stifled a yawn. "Both of us still have school tomorrow."

"Ah, That's right, it's getting late. Okay, Goodnight then Tensei!" Just like that, I took my case, closed it and trudged upstairs to my room. A small and cosy room with rush matting on the floor. My 'bed' was actually traditional styled japanese. It was like a huge duvet that was stored every night, which I could lay out on the floor to sleep in, along with pillows and blanket, of course. I set it up and took a change of clothes from the case, heading off to the shower. I didn't want to sleep through the alarm tomorrow morning after all.

Shibuya was my homeplace. I never felt like I belonged in Hokkaido. It was good, it was where I grew up, but Shibuya. That was me. That was my home.

-:-

For those of you who haven't lived in Japan, let me tell you straight up. Skipping breakfast before you leaving the house is pretty normal. You kind of counted on first break at school, where you ate a bun or something.

For Yuri and I, we're lucky, since we live in Shibuya. We normally get something simple to eat and finish it off on the train ride there. It's only three stops away, so nothing fancy.

"Yuri, you're going to walk into a pole."

"..."

I sighed, and steered her away from the telephone pole she'd almost knocked her head against. Early morning Shibuya was a strange sight, since most shopping malls and jobs in general opened up at about nine o'clock. To make up for the fact our school was three train stops away, we had to wake up a little earlier and get on the train by seven o'clock, since attendance was marked at 7:45.

Unfortunately, Yuri was not a morning person, clearly. Any of the few bystanders might have laughed a little bit at the sight of me having to keep a 15 year old from walking the wrong way. She was practically a teenage zombie, minus the flies, rotting flesh and desire for brains, and dressed in a beige blazer and blue skirt, standard japanese school uniform.

"Yuri, wake up a little, will you? We're headed for the train station, that's the way to the Statue of Hachiko."

Her eyes half opened as she corrected herself. "Sorry, Ten-kun... I'm just a little tired." As if to emphasize the fact, she yawned, then woke up a little, but not much. I shook my head.

"I always tell you not to sleep so late, it was already eleven when we got back last night." I chided her. She must have slept late, because she didn't even retort. A rare occurrence.

I sighed and entered the train station, signing Yuri and I in to the train station systems using our Student Cards. She should have really done it herself, but what the heck.

In about 5 minutes, we were sat in a fairly crowded train, blue plastic seats adorning the simply decorated train. Television screens flickered near the ceilings, showing the full map of Tokyo subway. The train itself was full of businessmen and businesswomen, along with a few students heading to different schools. I didn't recognize any from our school.

"Oi, Ten!"

"Ten-kun! Yu-chan!"

Whoops, spoke too soon.

I turned to see a boy and a girl wearing our school's uniform, and placed their faces almost instantly. After all, we'd all been hanging out for more than a year now. They came up to us in the train, edging past the crowd, careful not to knock into anyone's knees.

The guy's name was Satoshi Hashimoto. Jet black hair, similar black eyes, and a bit of a delinquent attitude when it came to socializing. Of course, the whole "I don't care" attitude was just a surface impression. He was a pretty great guy, if you got to know him. He was just a plotline away from being the perfect anime protagonist, really.

The girl was Li Xuan Tan. Yeah, I know, it's not a very Japanese sounding name. That was only because she was actually Chinese, but born and raised in Japan. Soft brown hair, only a little taller than Yuri, sporting a professional looking pair of glasses, behind which lay deeper brown eyes. I'd only gotten to know her last year, when she was in my math class. Because she sat next to me (the price of coming late on the first day), she'd become friendly with me and worked pretty well together on certain math projects. Eventually, she started talking with me and Satoshi, mainly because I was friends with them both.

"So, you guys do anything special over the holiday?" Yuri asked the other two. She was surprised, however, when both responded with grimaces.

"Nope." Satoshi grunted. Yuri looked as though she was beginning to regret asking the question, based off of the reactions she got.

"All of us have national exams to prepare for." Li Xuan explained kindly to the confused Yuri. "Wasn't Ten-kun studying during the holidays?" She turned her gaze on me, switching from the gentle expression on her face to one loaded with daggers in half-a-second flat.

"Hey, hey, hey!" I stopped her before she could kill me with her eyes alone. "I studied a little, probably not as much as you guys, because I was visiting my mom in Hokkaido!" Her face reverted a little, though she still looked suspicious.

I sighed a little. For a petite, cute girl, Li Xuan's authority and control over...me never ceased to amaze me. Satoshi chuckled to himself quietly, so no one noticed. Except of course me.

The train arrived at the station, and we all walked off into the similarly busy road of Shinjuku. It wasn't Shibuya, but heck, it was still a nice place, I guessed. Yuri was still a little bit on the drowsy side, so I took an ice-cold bottle of isotonic drink and pressed it against the nape of her neck.

"NYAA!" She yelped in shock and spun round. Before she could hit me, I pressed the bottle into her hand.

"There, have that. Now, are you any more awake?" I smirked. At which point she smacked my shoulder anyway. The other two laughed aloud at our antics.

"Fine..." Yuri grumbled. "I'll see you after school, Ten-kun!" Like that, she separated from us and melted into the crowd of Shinjuku. I wasn't worried. Shinjuku Middle School was a couple blocks down the road from our school, Shinjuku High.

There was a kind of comfortable silence as we walked in the cool morning air. The campus of Shinjuku High came into sight, and the noise level depreciated once we were past the school gates. Shinjuku High's campus was definitely a large one, included a separate field for football and basketball, then two large buildings, connected by an overhead bridge of sorts. The whole school sported the colours of blue and white, with the occasional hints of green.

"Alright, I'll see you at lunch guys!" Once at the ground floor, Li Xuan also went off up a different staircase. She was in class 1A, while both Satoshi and I were in a separate class of 1C. It made no difference in terms of academic skill level, it was just like that.

Sato grinned as soon as Li Xuan left. "Jeez, I thought you were going to explode, man." I sighed, releasing a breath I wasn't aware I was holding.

"Shut up, faggot." I chuckled weakly. "You know how she is." I gestured at the staircase Li Xuan went up.

"I think it's more you than her." He chuckled. I mumbled protests that trailed off into nothing. He cut across my meaningless mutterings. "Let's get into class, or I bet Miyamoto-sensei will skin us alive."

So we ran up three flights of stairs and turned into the classroom, before our form teacher could arrive to mark us late. I glanced at my watch. 7:40. Safe... but cutting it very fine.

"Yes, you really are cutting it fine." An officious voice that could only belong to our female class monitor, Nao Sunohara, came from behind us.

"We're not late, Sunohara. Nothing to report here." I retorted, not in the mood to be bullied by our bossy class monitor. She sniffed and walked away.

I sighed as I got down and had five minutes to myself, to gather my thoughts.

That's right. I'm pretty sure you guys have guessed it. But my _dear _friend Satoshi wasn't teasing me about nothing. I hid it from the general public, but those who pay _close_ attention might notice I never actually argue with Li Xuan. Or hit her playfully, like I did with Yuri. All because I had a half-a-year old crush on her.

Pretty pathetic, huh? But I'm not a god or anything. I know for a fact she doesn't really like me that way, we're just the best of friends, not a lot will change that, short of a miracle. That's how it always has been.

I let my thoughts wander from Li Xuan to life in general. This was my life. Tensei Kano. Not a straight A student, more of an average B-C student. Teenager with a crush, good friends, and a good family of sorts, biological and adoptive. That was life. A conflicting mass of ideas, values and emotions.

"Good morning class!" Miyamoto's voice ran through the room, shocking me out of my reverie. The class droned back a greeting as he sat down with a colossal, black notebook for taking attendance.

How was I supposed to know, innocent Tensei Kano, that my life would shortly be disrupted by forces beyond my wildest imaginations?

**T/N: Tensei Kano here! I've played (and loved) The World Ends With You long before I wrote my first Fanfiction. Recently, a couple of Fanfiction friends have posted a TWEWY fanfic that got me riled up, and I joined in the fun! For those who are curious, go check out Amulet Misty's "Sanctuary" Fanfiction! It's great!**

**Well, discussions commence! Reviews above all, please!**

**Tensei out!**


	2. Chapter 2: A night stroll

_**Chapter 2 - A night stroll**_

"Don't you have lunch?" Li Xuan asked worriedly. God dammit, I absolutely hated making people worry about me.

"We've been over this before, Li. I grab something to eat on the way back, I rarely ever have lunch at school."

Well, admittedly, it was kind of nice knowing that she DID care for me. Even a little.

"Fine..." Li Xuan let it drop, despite her worry. "Jeez, I'm surprised you can survive alone without me hassling over all your stuff, I'm practically like your big sister." She huffed.

"...Excuse me, but I'm pretty sure I survive well on my own. And since when are you older than me?"

"Ever since you forgot to grow up." She growled. It was all in the fun though, she wasn't angry at me, not really. It was just her way of doting on me.

It was lunch break, and all around, teens of our age and older were either relaxing, eating or studying. We'd gone to our usual lunch spot, a park bench some distance from the school building, but in full view of the field.

"What have you two lovebirds been up to?" The voice came from behind a, making us turn quickly, and causing me to hit my leg against the wooden bench. It was Satoshi, hands in his pocket, looking about as relaxed as ever.

"Oh, hey Sato." I grunted, rubbing my leg.

Li Xuan turned bright red and protested quickly against the comment I hadn't quite processed. "SATO-KUN! Me and Ten-kun are not like that! We're just good friends, we don't like each other like that!"

An icy cold stole through my chest that had nothing to do with the cold isotonic drink I'd just swallowed, but my face remained smiling. Satoshi gave a half-wince half-chuckle. The chuckle was at the strength of her reaction, the wince at me, knowing how her words would hurt me.

"Ah... You know I'm just teasing you guys." Satoshi sat down beside me, holding a yakisoba bun in his hand. Again, a note to our non-japanese readers, yakisoba was literally what it meant by direct translation: fried noodles. When Japanese people realized that not many people had the time and luxury of eating plates of fried noodles everywhere, someone decided to put it in a small, compact, edible container. Namely, bread. That's right. Noodles in a bun, which turned out remarkably delicious and easy to carry around. The result: the legendary yakisoba bun.

"Don't your moms have time to put together a bento or something?" Li Xuan asked, exasperated at being the only one with a lunchbox.

"Yuri's mom only has time for one kid, and I don't want to be a burden." I shrugged.

"My dad has work." Satoshi replied.

Li Xuan rolled her eyes, knowing that Satoshi could put one together himself if he wanted, seeing as he generally woke up even earlier than most.

Oh, for those of you who want to know where his mom is, apparently, she died at his birth, and his dad came to terms with it slowly over the years. The result: Satoshi grew up with less-than-holy morals, and a bit of an attitude. His dad was close with him, but they only saw each other on weekends. Don't pity him, he hates pity. And anyway, as he always said, it really wasn't that bad.

"I give up. You two do whatever you want." Li Xuan said resignedly. Behind her head, me and Sato reached out and bumped our fists together, grinning.

"I'm going to the washroom." She told us, getting up. "You guys better get back to class first, it's in five minutes." Li Xuan packed up and walked fairly quickly into the building.

The moment she left, I leapt up and hit Satoshi over the head with a half-full drink bottle. "YOU JACKASS!"

He winced, then chuckled weakly. "Sorry man. Didn't expect it to go that way."

"Forget that! You realize there's no point teasing her about it right? You could have made an entrance in any way, and of all the possibilities, it's 'How are you two? Are you going to make out? Oh joy!' SCREW YOU!" I roared. He burst into chuckles at my exaggerated performance. Within half a minute, neither of us could breathe, in fits of laughing our throats raw.

It took a minute for us to calm down, but when we did, it was almost time. Both of us simultaneously or up and began walking back to afternoon registration.

"Seriously though." He remarked, a little more sober. "I would have thought you'd be a little more hurt by what she said, but you didn't seem to care."

"Ah, well... I kinda came to terms with it, now I just gotta wait it out, and eventually these stupid feelings will go f-"

"Wait what?" Satoshi snapped his head back to stare at me. "You serious bro? You're just gonna give up?" He seemed almost disappointed.

"Well, yeah... It's not like it's going anywhere anytime soon." I grimaced. Since when had Satoshi taken such an active interest in my love life?

"Meh. Weak." I turned to him, surprised. "You haven't even begun, and you're giving up? Bullshit. C'mon man. You're better than that, you haven't tried anything."

"What do you know?" I challenged him. "You haven't been there, you don't know what it's like."

"No, I don't." He stated simply. "But I know you haven't tried. You just waited." He left and walked into class ahead of me. No room to argue, no one to argue with.

I'd known him long enough to know he wasn't mad. And I also knew, he wasn't wrong. Satoshi was one of those people who weren't very vocal, or really philosophical, even. But he knew me, and when he did voice out, it was normally right.

Still, nothing could be done, not yet, with exams running next week. I would just have to start trying at summer break.

Summer break suddenly seemed a lot further away.

-:-

The crowd of Shinjuku was nowhere near as dense as Shibuya's scramble crossing, but it was still enough to slows person's pace down a road. As a result, I was a little late, picking Yuri up from her school.

Regardless, the twenty minute time gap didn't seem to bother her as she was as bubbly as ever when I got to her.

"Hey Ten-kun!" I was a little relieved that she didn't call me -chan anymore, it was a little embarrassing to be caught being treated like a pet in public.

"Hey, Yuri. C'mon, let's get out of here." I replied. I was eager to get home in time to prepare for-

"Ten-kun, I'm dragging you to Ten-four, later, okay? Mizumi said she'd meet me there." Mizumi was Yuri's best friend in school, who was equally as headstrong as wasn't one to ask nicely, clearly.

"Nope. Sorry, Sato and I are headed to Li Xuan's house for the night, a study session."

Yuri's face fell. She'd always get a little unhappy when I went specifically with Li Xuan to do just about anything. Maybe she was just a little possessive of her 'older brother', I never really found out why.

Yuri and Satoshi were the only two people in the world who knew about my crush on her. Every time someone found out, I'd insist it was a rumour. Might not seem like it, but I'm a pretty good actor, and people usually followed it and believed me.

"Going with Li Xuan again huh?" Yuri sighed. Again, possessive? "I don't know... Sorry for always being like this, but whenever you're with Li Xuan, I kinda get grumpy, I don't even know why."

I had no answer. After all, I had no idea what it was like, what she was on about. "I'll go with you to Ten-four another time, alright?" I offered, a little guilty.

She smiled back at me at the consolation. "Thanks."

There was an odd silence as we got into the train. Not comfortable, but not cold and hostile. Somewhere in between. It was about four in the evening by the time we arrived in Shibuya train station. Yet another thing that people who haven't lived in Japan should remember, it gets dark at about 5-6 in the evening if it's not summer. Like now, I could already see the sun beginning to turn a familiar twilight orange. The scramble crossing was a raucously loud and crowded as ever.

Perfect.

It didn't take long to get to Dogenzaka's Ramen Don, and I climbed the steps quickly, alongside Yuri, who was oddly quiet. No, 'oddly' was an understatement, it was a bloody rarity. Normally, she really never shut up. Though it did grow on you.

Again, once Yuri unlocked the door, almost an exact repeat of yesterday, minus the melon. Close your eyes, and you almost couldn't tell one day's conversation from another sometimes.  
"We're home!"

"Welcome back Tensei, Yuri!"

"I'm going upstairs to prepare!"

Oops, a difference in conversation turn.

"Prepare? What's up now?" Sanako frowned.

"Ah, nothing big. I'm going out with Mizuki to Ten-four, just a couple of hours and I'll be back." Yuri reassured her mother, who was once again busy, this time rearranging shelf items. She always seemed to be busy one way or another.

"I see. Tensei, are you going somewhere?" Wow. Sharp intuition, as usual, Sanako.

"Me and Sato are heading over to Li Xuan's place for a study session." I told her. "I think Sato just wants help not screwing up his exams, since he's the one who suggested it. Be back at about ten though."

"Ah... I see. Well then, it's just me and Yuri tonight!" Sanako announced. "Yuri, make sure you get back on time, I'm cooking steak." She winked at Yuri, who's face brightened up instantaneously. Yuri disappeared in a cloud of dust up the stairs, yelling her thanks loudly down the stairs. A slamming door indicated she'd closed the one to her room.

I chuckled to myself. "Sanako-san, that was probably a good idea. She's been a bit moody ever since I've been hanging out with my own friends rather than her, so thank you."

Sanako stared earnestly at me as though she wanted to say something. "She has a reason to not like you being with your friends, one friend in particular, Tensei... It's just that she..." She stopped, but her eyes were beseeching, as though hoping for me to make a connection. Unfortunately, I couldn't think of it. Sanako sighed at my blank face. "Never mind. She'll tell you when the time comes, she has plenty of it. Go prepare, study hard." A sad smile on her face.

As confused as I was, I really couldn't do anything but follow her last sentence, going upstairs and showering, changing, checking what subjects to bring... Maybe I'd just bring my whole bag, it'd be easier. Yeah, I would. Money for dinner, since we'd be going out for a meal at the end of it all, and in theory, we'd all part and get back home by nine. Unbeknownst to the Yamashita family, I would typically spend about an hour afterwards, walking about Shibuya, feeling it. The place really was my home, so diverse, so varied. My favourite spots by far was Udagawa back streets. It wasn't the safest place, to be honest. It was a little shady, dark, perfect for any thugs. But I couldn't help it. The quiet contrasted the town's crazy crowd, and the mural, designed by a famous designer of Shibuya, CAT, was vibrant and alive with colour.

Well, enough description of my after-hours. I promised I'd be there by 5:30, and it wasn't far off.

I grabbed my navy-blue bag and slung it over my shoulders and headed for the door. "Don't wait up for me, I'm off!" I called back as I walked out. The front door close with a sharp click. The evening air was already pitch black, and it seemed like the nightlife of Shibuya was beginning.

Dogenzaka was wild with teenage screaming fan girls, as the Shibuya fashion icon walked by, Eiji- something or other. I only knew him by his nickname, "The prince." Whatever these girls thought, I simply thought he was a little snobbish. I slipped past the crowd and the deep male voice calling "Easy now, ladies. There's enough of the Prince to share." Soon, the train station came into view, still full of evening rush-hour workers on their way home.

Let's see.. A few stops down, student ticket... 800 yen. Alright! I think train prices might be getting cheaper.

I plugged in earphones to my phone and slotted in the white, conical cones into my ears and turned on. Soon, songs were blaring in my ears as I waited for the train.

_Cold cake, cold break_

_Freak got a high kick _

_Mr. Twister _

_Moist with roistering _

_Stick it up, take it up _

_Step aside and see the world _

_Effect has defects _

_Take a bow to the moon._

"Twister." I loved the song. The producer, who made the song in Shibuya, must have based it off the city itself. I didn't understand all the lyrics, but the song itself felt so vibrant, alive with life, clashing ideal against ideal, person against person. A personal battlefield of ever-existing objects of society. Just like Shibuya.

Just as the train arrived in the subway tunnel, with a distant roaring honk and a flashing rainbow of train colours, my phone trilled gently, and I checked the message that came in. It was addressed to both me and Li Xuan.

_Won't be here tonight, sorry guys, dad is sick._

_Satoshi._

I was slightly annoyed, until a second message came, this time, only aimed at my phone.

_I made you an opportunity with her. Use it._

_Satoshi._

...

...

...

Oh f-

-:-

"Oh hey Ten-kun! Glad you could make it!"

I grimaced. "Yeah, too bad Sato couldn't though it." Li Xuan was dressed in a pink T-shirt and long black pants, which she seemed to fit naturally into.

Li Xuan shrugged at that. "His dad is sick, that's pretty important."

My fingers twitched behind my back. Satoshi was going to die soon, and my hands would probably be what killed him.

"A-anyway, C'mon in, lets not stay on the doorstep." Li Xuan ushered me in.

I'd only been here once before, so I knew how to get around now. The hallway was simple, wooden plank floors, leading up to a staircase.

"Hey, where are your parents?" I couldn't help but ask.

"They're both out tonight, so we have the house to ourselves." She gestured up the staircase. "Just get to my room, and I'll bring up some tea."

Sure enough, in about ten minutes, we were both studying off some large, blue textbooks, holding math equations that would make any student cringe, and any younger student's face to turn blank with confusion.

_Lets see...four X squared plus two x... Plus... Equals... WHO WROTE THIS?! _

With a little persistence and some sneaky looks at the answers section when Li Xuan wasn't looking, we got through a couple hours of productive work. Throughout the process, Li Xuan's concentration on her neat hand-written pages was absolute, perfect silence.

It was a time like this that I couldn't help but stare at her. It really was no wonder I'd fallen for her. She was cute, hardworking, organized, had a dream, an ambition to shoot for. Yep, she actually had her future planned out in a sense. She wanted to go to college, then become a teacher at a kindergarten for a little bit, then maybe continue the road of teaching. Her life was sorted out, unlike mine. Mine was aimless, a mass not-bad-but-not-great.

Eventually, about half an hour after I'd set aside my work and drank my green tea, Li Xuan looked up from her work.

"Woah... What time is it?" She looked a little dazed, as though studying took her mind to another dimension.

"About eight, and I'm done for now, I think." I stretched upwards as Li Xuan slowly woke up from her study state.

"Oh wow, it's eight already? That was fast." I almost choked on the last of my tea. Three hours not enough? Really?

"W-well, anyway, c'mon. You wanna get dinner? It's on me." I smiled and got up. She followed suite and switched off the lights in the room as we left.

As she locked the door, I realized how dark it got. So quick did the day go, it was already getting pretty cold. As I thought about the black jacket around my shoulders, I realized I didn't even need it, considering I was a naturally warm person. Maybe my mom's genes. Or just me.

We walked down the road past the train station, chatting about amazingly normal topics, from exams to bullies in class, to the most snobbish, to the most popular. I almost died laughing when she admitted that, before getting to know him, Li Xuan thought Satoshi was extremely popular.

"He could probably be popular if he wanted to, he's a pretty awesome guy." I admitted.

"You feel jealous?"

"Me? Nah, he has his faults which are... well, lets just say I like being me." I replied with a smile. "What about you? Anyone you're particularly jealous of yourself?"

"Not really. I used to be really jealous of that girl in 1B for being so cute, and so popular, but when I got to know her, she was really nice!"

"Huh... who is that again?"

"You know, that Korean girl, Michelle? Michelle Choi?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Oh right... I guess she's pretty cute." I responded indifferent. We'd reached the main shopping street, where we were hoping to get some ramen. Li Xuan loved ramen beyond every other food in the world, which 'wasn't very feminine', as her mother would usually tell her. I would usually order Shio ramen, and she would get Shoyu ramen. I pitied anyone who would ever think to get in between her and a good bowl of Shoyu ramen.

"So... you think she's cute?" She asked, catching me off guard. "Do you like her?"

CLONK.

"Ten-kun! Are you okay?" She asked, helping me up. I must have been shocked enough by her question to trip over myself...

"Yeah... I'm fine... But no, I don't...like her." I shook myself, regaining my senses as Li Xuan giggled at me.

"Okay, so you don't like her... So who do you like?" She questioned innocently.

There was so much I could have told her at that moment, and I almost laughed hysterically at the absurdity of the situation. "What do I always tell everyone? I don't have anyone like that yet." I shrugged lightly. I was only buying time, we both knew it.

"Oh c'mon, I know there is someone, why won't you tell me?" Li Xuan pouted. I almost gave in there and then, but held back.

"Fine... There is someone, but I don't think I'm ready to tell you." I admitted. She grumbled a bit, but dropped the topic as we entered "Ikuzo Ramen!"

We almost didn't speak the entire time we were eating, since ramen wasn't exactly something that one would take a spoonful of, stop, chat, then continue. Ramen was almost, but not quite, fast food in Japan, except with much more skill, prowess and experience involved. Accompanied by ice cold cups of water, the meal was... satisfying, to say the least.

I paid for both meals and waved Li Xuan's thanks away with a smile. "It's the least I can do, today's study session really helped."

"I didn't even say anything though..." Li Xuan raised her eyebrow suspiciously.

"Clever old me." I grinned, and walked out with her to the shop. "C'mon, I'll walk you back, it's not really safe at night anymore."

"It's perfectly safe." She huffed. "Why are you and mom always like that?"

"Didn't you read the news?" I questioned. She shook her head. "The other night, a couple of girls got attacked on their way home. One of them didn't make it." Li Xuan gasped at the news.

"O-oh... I didn't know..." She looked left and right, as though expecting thugs from behind every bin and bench.

"Sooo, I'll walk you home then?" She nodded vigorously, then followed close behind me as I chuckled. The air was, as always in Japan, crisp and cool, like fresh lettuce. Our breath, hot after eating the bowls of ramen, formed white wisps and trailed off into the night sky.

I felt Li Xuan shiver a little behind me. "Cold?"

"A little... I should have brought my jumper." She cursed.

"Or I could just do this." I replied, shrugging off my branded jacket and draping it across her shoulders.

"T-Ten-kun?" She looked surprised at me. Maybe it was just the darkness, but I could swear she was blushing slightly.

"Might as well, I'm not cold at all." I grinned. Despite her confusion, she instinctively drew the jacket closer, against the cold.

A warm, comfortable silence came upon us. Soon, we were walking down the road like nothing happened. Li Xuan stopped shivering and held the jacket as naturally as though it were her own, though it was clearly slightly larger than she was.

"We should walk on the side of the road, in case a car comes near." I warned, and started moving to the sidewalk. Li Xuan didn't seem to hear me, for whatever reason. She kept walking down the middle of the road, as though in her own thoughts.

"You sure you wanna keep down the middle of the road?" I called. She shook herself and looked at me, then smiled and started to walk over.

HONK!

A huge car sped down the avenue at insane speeds punishable by law, a sports car of sorts, which looked expensive. But I was more focused on where it was heading, and the velocity.

Breakneck speed.

At Li Xuan.

Time slowed almost to a standstill. I saw Li Xuan, a look of confusion on her face. The car and it's driver, who was just visible, looking extremely shocked. The car, blood-red, blinking dangerously.

_Is this the right choice?_

My body was moving. Why was it moving, I hadn't commanded it to. Maybe because I wanted to, deep down.

_Is this worth it?_

It wasn't me that jumped, legs contracting to give me a forward-momentum speed, was it?

_Is she that important to you?_

I felt my arms wrap around a confused girl wearing a black jacket. My black jacket. She was warm, comfortable. I wanted to hold on. But I didn't. Instead, my arms extended and thrust her somewhere. To safety, hopefully.

A huge bang. Lights. Numbness. Blinded. Hard to breathe.

What just happened? I was disorientated by the impact of the car, and couldn't see due to shock. I lay on the rough road and felt scratches on my cheek as the road cut into it. The cuts were soon submerged by another sticky red liquid, leaking from somewhere else, spilling out onto the road. I'd seen it a few times before, the same life-elixir that kept us all going. The thing that leaked out of small cuts whenever you fell over down a rocky path. The same jump-scare that hid in your veins and under your skin.

Blood...?

I heard a scream from somewhere distant. "TENSEI!" a moment of soft footsteps. A car door slamming. Hands all over me for a second, and I was lifted up half-way to a sitting position. A very cute girl with a black jacket grabbed me close, professional looking glasses sheilded a pair of rich, brown, horror-filled eyes. Who was this strange girl? Maybe I should ask? No, I couldn't have, really. It would have been rude to ask a stranger of her name and life.

That wasn't it. I knew this girl from somewhere... Maybe a waking dream in my childhood? Whoever she was, she was hugging me close, tears leaking out and mixing with the blood trailing out of my chest. Yes... that was right... I knew this girl, didn't I?

"Tensei... stay... stay with me! Don't... I'm here! I'm Li Xuan! I'm here! Don't leave me! Everyone will miss you if you... Just stay!" She was sobbing her heart out over me. I wanted to comfort her, but couldn't move. That was it... Li Xuan... Of course, I remembered her. The shock started to fade away.

But it wasn't enough. Black tadpoles nibbled away at the edge of my vision. I was... closing my eyes. No big deal. Just a little rest.

"Call 911! I don't care...do it! I can't..."

Her words were fading now, along with my vision. Just a little rest...

**T/N: Woah. Negativity. To the max. Don't want to ruin the mood, so I'll keep this note quick. I have exams, sorry. May need a minor hiatus.**

**Reviews**

**Amulet Misty - Oh hey! Yes, I am an avid gamer and otaku, so it's natural for me to know all this. I have a habit of bringing personal experience into stories, and I've been to japan many times. I will say that the not eating breakfast part only happens sometimes. So it's not unusual, but it's not common. Like... 30 percent of the time maybe. I'm glad you're a romantic, you'd have loved this chapter then xD You wanted him dead. He's dead. And emo. Don't worry about the recommendation, I was planning to do that from the beginning anyway.**

**Mitsumi Harazono - Hey thanks for feedback! I needed that. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and that your own fanfic goes well!**

**End. Please. Reviews are really helpful, better than ratings any day.**

**Tensei out.**


	3. Chapter 3: Psych

_**Chapter 3 - Psych**_

Warmth...

Was I dead? Maybe. Where I was, I could feel warmth... and hear crowds... I could smell a mix of Ramen, fast food and deodorant in the air, which felt cool on my skin, contrasting the warmth in certain areas.

I wouldn't normally be surprised. These were the everyday senses experienced walking through the crowd of Shibuya, so I was well used to them. But one thing struck me as odd.

_Why can I feel? Dead people don't feel._

I got up from my position on the ground to see what kind of mess I landed in. My only thought was that I should have felt immeasurable pain in every inch of my body, following the incident. After all, speeding sports cars tended to leave marks. Surprisingly, no such feeling. I felt at the top of my health... well, barring the minor headache... Wait... was this the scramble crossing?

Now that didn't make sense. Li Xuan's house was near Harajuku, a station or two away. So how the heck did I end up here?

Clearly though, whatever was happening, the day wouldn't let me rest before piling it on me. My flip-up phone rang in my pocket with the sound of a message ringtone. I obediently opened it to see the new mail.

_Reach 104. You have 60 minutes. Fail, and face erasure._

_The Reapers_

What was this? I sighed. Spam mail of some sort. It wasn't uncommon, it really wasn't, not around here. My thumb quickly manipulated the phone to delete the message.

_There. And now I never have to deal with it again._

But the day proved me wrong yet again. As soon as I deleted it, another message popped up. The same message... Great. A spam bot? Or a virus in my phone? Both seemed unappealing.

_OW!_

Sharp pain in my right palm, as though burned... or cut through? I couldn't tell. But what I could tell was what was on it. Sharp, black, graffiti-styled numbers had etched themselves into my palm... 60:00... and it began counting down... 59:55... 59:54... it wasn't counting seconds was it?

_Hold up just a second_. I stopped myself. _Is this a hallucination? Maybe I really am dead and this is my last dream._ As soon as I thought that, I shuddered. _Isn't that a comforting thought. My very last dream isn't about my real family, my biological family, my friends, or even my bloody crush! It's about spam mail!_

Somewhere to my left, strange, static sounds came from nowhere, remarkably close... too close to be a broken gadget gone haywire. I looked to see something completely new... A black, graffiti symbol with red borders... flashing read... and floating in mid air...?

_That proves it. Hallucination._ I sighed. Too bad. If my last dream couldn't be about the people I cared about, at least it was in Shibuya, a harmless day in Shibuya might make a good ending dre-

That was when the graffiti started bending stangely, as though try to squeeze something out of itself. From it's jagged edges, some solidified and became... green. Webbed feet came out of the angles, then the body, and the head...

A frog?

I briefly wondered whether a doctor had gotten to my body and pumped it full of drugs, when the frog spotted me and began to look much more menacing. It leaped towards my face, clearing the 2 meter gap in an instant. Reflexively, I held my arms up to my face, and felt the webbed feet cling to my skin. The frog's face twisted a little, almost like a grin, before the frog itself jumped off my arm. My skin felt sharp, burning pain, as though the frog had ripped off my skin when it jumped off. But when I looked at my arm, it was there, untouched. What was stranger, the pain faded almost immediately.

There wasn't much time to rest though. More symbols were morphing and changing into frogs and, in some cases, strange, blue tadpoles. I was willing to bet they were no better than the first frog.

More pain as one attacked my back, causing me to gasp. _Really is no time! Explanations later, run!_

And run I did. I was never extremely fit in real life, but I could keep my pace for a long period of time, without slowing. It didn't help, of course, that I had to twist and turn every few seconds to avoid the hostile frog army behind me.

In desperation, I did something I would never have thought to do normally. Cause a scene, attract public attention. "Hey! Help! Someone get these friggin..." My voice petered out. No one heard me... How? Worse, as I dodged past another frog, I almost tripped and was about to stumble head first into a boy younger than me.

But the collision never came. I didn't see what happened, but somehow, as I looked behind me at the boy, ever oblivious to what just happened, I realized I'd gone through him.

I panted and slowed at the Hachiko Statue square. What was with these reptilian bastards? They just wouldn't leave me alone! I realized, too late, I'd been backed into a corner by the frogs. I shut my eyes and ducked.

_Oh cra-_

"There! You!"

A girl's voice came from somewhere. I ignored it. What were the odds that the voice was directed at me?

"Hello?! Guy with the frogs? You need help or do you want to get erased?"

I looked up, opening my eyes, only to see a girl, about my height, maybe a centimetre or so shorter, wearing a pink shirt with a black-purple design on the sides and back, and a plaid, grey-blue skirt. Around her brown, short-cut hair that barely reached her shoulders by a strand, hung an expensive-looking set of black headphones. She looked very aware of my situation, and slid the headphones off and was actually talking to me.

"Whoa, what? A little help?" I asked her instinctively.

"Forge a pact with me!" She demanded.

"What? What the hell are you talking about?" I yelled back, confused as ever. I could see a little panic in her eyes, building up.

"Just do it! We'll be able to fight the... frogs!" She changed the word at the last second, as though about to call them something else.

"A-alright! I accept!" I set my eyes on hers and sealed the so-called 'pact'.

White light.

Or was it blue? I couldn't tell. Whichever it was, it swirled around both of us in a whirlwind, as though binding us somehow. It was incredible, more lifelike than a holographic effect, yet so unreal that it seemed like one.

As soon as it began, it was over, however. The frogs were still croaking threateningly at me, looking ready to finish me, but instead, the girl was by my side, holding what looked like small badges. No... too small to be badges... more like... pins.

"We'll erase the noise together!" She looked dead ahead at the frogs, determined. "Use your pins, you're bound to find one that you can use!"

_Huh? Do I have pins too?_ My hands automatically dug into my pockets, and I was surprised to find a good deal of pins, sitting at the bottom of my right one.

A flash blinded me, and suddenly, the girl was no longer with me. I realized I was in a single battle, one-on-three, against the frogs.

_Oh, this will be fun._ I rolled my eyes. What the hell was that light show, and how was it supposed to help me fight these frogs?

Imagine my shock when a familiar-sounding girl's voice spoke in my head in answer. _You idiot! I'll explain the light show later, just finish these bastards off! Use the pin's psych by holding it tight, then unleashing its power!_

My mind reeled. Was this girl really talking to me in my mind? How the hell-

AGH!

_Maybe I'll just fight the frogs and ask questions later._

_Good idea._ I could almost hear the sarcasm in her comment. As quick as the sarcasm came, I saw another unbelievable image flash in the corner of my mind. The girl was fighting the same frogs by raising her hands, causing flames to spout from the ground and burn the enemies one by one.

It seemed incredible... but looking at the last ten minutes, maybe it was just believable. I held up a red pin with orange flames graffitied on it, and gripped it tightly. Raising my hand, I experimentally concentrated and expected the flames to raise out of the ground.

...Nothing.

_Dammit! It's not working!_ Not bothering to let the girl tell me what to do next, I checked all my other pins... Press, concentrate... nothing. Press, concentrate... nothing. Press, concentrate... Gah! Why are none of these working?!

I ducked as a frog attempted another lunge at me, cursing. In frustration, I took the first, fire-red pin between my fingers and pressed as hard as I could._ WORK, GOD DAMMIT._

The pin unexpectedly folded between my fingers, and I felt the strange metal material break into pieces, then disintegrate further into dust between my fingers, then... nothing. I stared, shocked. How did the metal pin grind between my fingers so easily?

A flare of heat came from my palms, and they both burned intensely, but no flames. I could feel like something was bursting beneath my skin, beating to get out... What the hell? Was this how the pins worked?

_Only one way to find out!_ I thought, then roared, mostly out of fear and desperation, and thrust my hands forward.

_What-..._ The girl's voice was cut off in my head as she fell silent in amazement at what was happening.

Erupting from my palms was not a blaze of burning fire, but a colossal, roaring inferno that consumed practically the whole area in front of me. I could feel immense heat at my fingers, but wasn't affected by it. My eyes grew wide at the wondrous sight of the blazing sea of flares. 'Fire' didn't do the intensity of the flames justice, it was half terrifying, half mesmerizing. They kept spewing out of the area where my hand should have been, lasting longer than any flame should.

And suddenly, as soon as they began, the flames stopped, as though it's source had been blocked, and the remaining flames began to wither on the road. When they dissipated, the frogs seemed long gone. Not a single reptilian speck was left.

…

_I meant to do that._

-:-

"Woah... Right, back to Shibuya I guess." I shook myself from disorientation and turned to the girl with the lights show. It seemed after the battle, we'd been transported back to the Shibuya filled with people that couldn't see us. "Hey, my name is Tensei Kano, it's nice to meet you." I greeted her politely and made a small bow.

"Ah, yes, my name is Naomi Yoshida, pleased to meet you." She bowed a little as well, then blinked. "Wait... That's not the point!"

"How the heck did you do that? I've never seen flames like that, those were huge!" Naomi Yoshida seemed desperate to know.

"Heck if I know. I couldn't activate the pin powers, so I just squeezed it between my fingers, and... That happened." I shrugged, as confused as she was.

"Let me see the pin." She demanded. I only shook my head dejectedly in response, bringing a frown to her face.

"I can't. It got crushed when I did it."

Naomi processed the information, then breathed in, as though nervous.

"Alright, we can talk about his much more later. For now, lets go to Ten-four and complete the mission, we have 15 minutes left on the timer!" She brought up her right hand, looking at it intently. The symbols on it shocked me deeply, at that point. The same ominous timer, ticking down with a strong sense of foreboding, was imprinted on her palm as well.

"Wait!" I stopped her. "Tell me what's going on! Why am I back in Shibuya? How did I get here, why can't anyone see me, and what the hell were those frogs?!" Every frustrated question seemed to be pouring from my lips before I could stop myself. "What the hell happened? Last thing I remember, I got hit by a car, next thing I know, I'm here, in a Shibuya that looks like its a parallel dimension or something! Tell me!" I demanded from her.

Silence, except for the crowd. I was breathing hard, and realized too late that my voice had risen to a yell. The girl looked both surprised, and a little scared. I sighed and calmed down. "I'm sorry... I'm just so confused."

She steeled herself to respond clearly, then managed. "W-well, just follow me to Ten-four first, please... It's a long story, which you should know, but you don't... And I don't know why. But if we don't get to Ten-four on time, we'll be... Erased, so just follow me, and I'll explain... what I can."

I nodded, then followed her shamefacedly. I didn't mean to yell at a complete stranger. Any of my friends would have been disappointed in my actions. Obediently, I kept behind her, and we soon made it to Ten-four, after an uneventful journey.

As soon as we reached there, a weight seemed to lift off my palm, and I looked down to see my clean, unblemished palm skin. As always, Ten-Four, or the '104 building', was ever-thriving with trend bandwagoners and fashionistas. I ignored them and turned to the girl, who seemed to be thinking how to explain the whole situation.

"Alright, I don't know why you can't remember this, but this is the Reaper's game. They explained it all in that odd white room. Basically, all you have to do is find a partner, which we've just done, and complete the missions for seven days. The missions they send us will be on our phones every morning when we wake up. Meanwhile, the frogs are just one type of monster that we'll fight during the course of the game. And you can't hurt them with fists and feet alone, you're going to need the pins."  
"The pins hold powers, 'psychs'. Each psych is unique and different, and we can gather more pins as we go along. That's how we attack and defend. Just make it through to the end and you win. Though how you managed to absorb and use the pin entirely, I don't know..."

So if this was all a game, a competition, then that led to an obvious question. "So what do win then?"  
She raised her eyebrow. "Isn't it obvious? You get to live again."

_Live again?_ I fervently hoped she couldn't hear my thoughts any longer, since some of them sounded both confused and stupid. "Sorry for sounding stupid, but what do you mean, "again"?"

Naomi Yoshida closed her eyes, as though unsure, then opened them again. When they did, her calm blue eyes were fresh with sympathy. "You don't get it do you?" She breathed in and spoke aloud, steeling herself yet again.

"We're all dead."

**T/N: I really shouldn't be writing chapters during exams, but what the hell. Tell me what you think, guys!**

**Review replies!**

**Amulet Misty - Thank you! I worked really hard on that last chapter, and I'm pretty happy with it to be honest. For now, we're in the game! This is just build-up to more development, and I'm trying to decide, "Do I want this fic to be with Neku and the lot, or is this my own personal game?" Maybe you can help me answer that? Personal game would be hard ^^". Glad to see you like Sato as well. Random fact, all of my OCs, except for Naomi and Tensei, are based off real people! Although I edited their names, to be safe. I don't think they even know I'm using them o.o**

**Oh well. Thanks for the rate, and check your inbox, I have a book cover waiting for you.**

**Lazersword88: Thank you very much! It's great to see someone praise my work so lavishly :D. I'm not stopping anytime soon, so stick around ;)**

**And in response to a PM of someone I won't name, I am a guy -.-. Not a girl. I don't even know what you mean by I'm feminine **

**Tensei out!**


	4. Chapter 4: Fears

_**Chapter 4 - Fears**_

"_C'mon! Work with me!" The strange girl with glasses demanded, annoyed that I wasn't taking the math project seriously, her brown eyes filled with frustration. I shrugged nonchalantly and looked at the problem._

"_So... what don't you get?" I scratched my head._

"_It's this puzzle, I keep telling you!" She fumed. "It says we have to figure out what mathematical object this riddle is talking about!"_

"_Let's see..." I looked down seriously at the math riddle for the first time. "I am not possible, yet I am your world, in the mind of a 6C BC man. What am I?" The girl glared at me, as though it would help me concentrate, which it didn't._

"_Well, the only two possibilities that are impossible are the irrational numbers we know, which are pi and Root 2," I began, "and it would make sense to test pi, which we associate with the 'Earth', which is our 'world', because it's round, and the concept that the earth was round has been speculated since the 6th century BC, which would explain 6C BC, so your answer is pi." I leaned back in my seat, the random numbers and facts fizzled out in my ears, and my brain soon returned to that half-listening, half-sleeping state. "So... anything else?" I asked to my maths partner._

_The girl next to me stared at me dumbfounded. I didn't see what was so amazing, it was common sense stuff, wasn't it?_

_She smiled at me suddenly, then giggled, which turned into laughter. I was amazed the teacher hadn't picked up on the loud laughter as it echoed around me. "I really don't understand you. You seem so stupid normally, but you're actually a genius." _

_What the heck was this girl talking about? "Uhh, have you seen my grades? Sorry, too lazy to be a genius...Erm..." What was her name again? I drew a complete blank._

"_My name is Li Xuan." She smirked. "Now come on, don't be lazy, back to work, and don't pretend you don't understand this time!"_

My eyes opened.

It was dark, wherever I was, and I couldn't really comprehend it at first. I shook myself awake and looked around. Just like before, I knew this place. The station underpass past the Hachiko Statue? Wait... weren't we at Ten-four? Why did we end up here?

My eyes roved the place as they began to adjust to the darkness. Nearby, I could see the girl from yesterday, leaning on a pillar, looking to the station underpass exit. She was wearing a pair of black headphones and was staring at a small, flip-up phone, which was pink in colour. Her eyes were a little... watery?

I walked up to her silently and coughed lightly. Immediately, she turned around, surprised. "Who-?! Oh... Kano-san... it's you..." _Kano-san?_ Been awhile since anyone called me that... or not. Actually, I'd been called that before the night at Li Xuan's place, at school, in fact. It seemed so far away already...

"Eh... yeah. What happened?" I asked, wondering if I could help, or comfort her. She did look somewhat distressed.

"Oh... it's nothing." She shook away her strange mood and faced me. "So... I've been thinking about the way you use pins..."

"It's a dangerous way of using them." I replied. She looked at me, surprised. "I've thought it out. When I use a pin, it's power increases tenfold, but on the downside... the pin gets crushed."

The girl looked downwards, at her feet, which were in black, branded trainers. "We'd better stock up on pins then, if you use up a pin every time we fight..."

There was a kind of awkward silence that followed. I cast around for a subject to talk about, but everything that came to mind seemed insensitive. I couldn't picture myself asking, "How did you die?" or "What was on your phone that made you cry?"

"There should be another mission today, right?" I asked, and she nodded tersely.

"There's a mission every day... I don't think they'd let us go easil-"

Both our phones vibrated at the same time. Mine beeped with the default ringtone, while the girl's phone trilled with an extract of Skrillex's 'Scary monsters and Nice Sprites.'

I stared at her, at which she blushed lightly. "So what if I like dubstep?" She defended herself.

"You know, of course, that Skrillex's tracks are mainly 'brostep', which ranges higher frequencies than usual sub-bass, and is more aggressive than 'dubstep', right?" I reminded offhandedly. Immediately, her mouth dropped open.

"You know the difference?" She asked, disbelieving, and I nodded nonchalantly. We probably would have gone on too, but just then, we remembered the mail.

"Let's just read the mail, shall we?" I grunted. Yoshida nodded, a little bemused by the whole conversation.

_Clear the shadows hiding the sunshine. You have 240 minutes. Fail, and face erasure._

_The Reapers_

Searing pain in my palm, and both me and Yoshida winced, grabbing our arms reflexively. And on our palms was the strange timer, in all its grafitti-like glory.

"So the timer is our time limit for the mission?" I asked.

She nodded tersely. "Not that it helps, since we have a riddle for a mission." She sighed.

_Hmmm... The shadow hiding in the sunshine... _My mind began whirring with the possibilities. I looked out the entrance of the station underpass and up at the sky, which was mildly cloudy, but not enough to cover the sun. _I doubt our mission is to get rid of clouds... But what?_

Yoshida seemed to be thinking along the same lines. "No use... The clouds couldn't be our objective... Kano-san, is there a structure in Shibuya that creates huge shadows?"

I smiled wryly. "Well, there's not much in Shibuya which doesn't. From Ten-four to this station underpass, down the the Udagawa back streets..." My thoughts wandered to the brands around these shopping buildings.

"Oi, Yoshida-san... I think I kinda get it though." I stared at the message. Yoshida's expression looked a little more hopeful. "Look, we're at the station underpass... For god knows what reason. I'm willing to bet... That if this game is based in Shibuya, the missions might have some relevance with Shibuya's centre." She looked at me, confused. "Look, think about it. If nothing else, Shibuya runs on trends and brands of restaurants, clothing and more. What brand, specifically a food brand, comes to mind when I say 'sunshine'?"

I expected her to react positively to my thought train, but she looked as confused as ever. "...Are you from Shibuya?"

She grimaced. "You noticed, huh? I'm from Osaka... Moved here about a week ago to further my studies... Never got the chance."

I felt for her and frowned a little. "Well, if you want that chance, lets win the game and get out of here together. " I encouraged her. She nodded, then shook herself out of the depression. "Anyway, going back to the mission, one of Shibuya biggest fast food franchisers is called Sunshine. Our best bet would be to start there."

"Right!" She nodded. We jogged towards the exit towards the sunlight and...

BAM!  
"AH! Son of a f-" I smothered my crude curses quickly in my hand and shook the pain off. Yoshida looked shocked, then approached the exit slowly, holding her hand out. It stopped at the invisible barrier that my face had made contact with.

"A wall...?" She looked confused. "Why is there a wall here?"

"I dunno..." My gaze wandered, searching the underpass for any hints and clues. Again, a few people walked through the barrier with no problems, but they couldn't see us. It was creepy, like we were ghosts or something. We might as well have been, seeing as we were dead. But just as I was about to give up in frustration, I noticed a man in a red hooded jacket, leaning on the pillar. He would have been unremarkable, except that he was looking... _at us..._

I stopped. The inherent level of power coming from the man was slightly worrying. As Yoshida fretted over the wall, I kept an eye on the man. My attention was fully diverted to him, however, when he walked straight towards us nonchalantly, hood still masking his eyes.

Yoshida turned sharply and stared warily at the man. We both said nothing to the man, and he stopped in front of us.

A beat of silence. Maybe two.

"Want past this wall?" He questioned in a low, almost monotonous voice. "Defeat the noise surrounding the area."

Noise? "But there aren't any!" Yoshida burst out.

There was a moment of wary silence as the reaper regarded my partner. As though relenting, he shook his head. "The world is more than what you see."

I turned to the barrier and tested it. It didn't seem like it would fall any other way, unless this man let us through. Yoshida, meanwhile, fumbled with her pins suddenly. "Yoshida-san? What's up?"

"I have an idea... I think." She rooted through her collection until she found a black pin with a strange skull, almost shaped like an upside-down spade.

When I looked up, the red-hooded man was gone.

He knew about the game. I'm sure of it. The hell was he?

Eventually, Yoshida turned to me. "Use the player pin to scan the area."

I looked through my remaining pins and found one like hers, a black pin and spade-shape skull. A tentative moment while I tried to use it without crushing it.

The world turned deep blue, as though I was underwater. A flood of... Voices... filled my head, growing stronger in focus when I looked at an unaware bystander.

"What... These voices..." I muttered. I automatically let go of the pin, letting it fall back into my pocket with a clink. "They can't be..." Yoshida looked at me curiously. "Yoshida-san. Does this pin let me hear... People's thoughts?"

She nodded. "It lets you scan people's thoughts. But it looks like it does more than just thoughts, check it out."

We uses our pins once more, and there it was again... People's inner voices spoke as soon as we neared them. But I wasn't focused on their thoughts anymore. Yoshida pointed out a large graffiti symbol, like the one that created frogs yesterday. I focused on the symbol like I did with the people's thoughts, and it suddenly seemed to get closer, and closer...

The world turned red

-:-

Before I knew it, I was plunged into another fight. A frog, just like the one yesterday, and then a strange, ice-blue frog.

I wasn't prepared to find out what it did. As I focused on my partner, I caught a brief flash of Yoshida, focusing on cars and stop signs, then sending them flying at the noise, using a psych from a pin that looked like a gloved hand. The frog in my own vision leapt towards me, intent on getting the first strike. I dodged the leap narrowly, just as the ice-blue frog puffed up. It blew out a huge spray of blue bubbles, that popped with a bang, leaving burn marks. One popped on my arm, and I recoiled in shock as the pain flared up my arm. I scanned the area, hoping to find something I could throw as well

_Damn! There isn't anything I can throw... I'll check my other pins._

There was a strange silence, during which I had the odd feeling that Yoshida wasn't even bothered to come up with a witty reply. I cursed and grabbed the first pin I could find out of my pocket.

I didn't even see what it was before I felt a strange crumpling between my finger and thumb, and if realised I'd crushed the pin again. I felt a strange buzz in my veins, as though electricity was running up and down my bloodstream, demanding to be released from the confines of my body. Who was I to stop it?

I let loose the energy, and heard a girl's yelp of shock in my head. A blinding flash of purple lightning bolted from the heavens, instantaneously frying every living thing in the area, except me. The resulting sonic boom of sound almost deafened me.

I opened my eyes, tentatively, only to peer at nothing. Game, set and match!

-:-

As we came back to our normal dimension, I looked at a slightly shell-shocked Yoshida, who was still very surprised, and maybe a little... Scared? I realised she had tears in her eyes again, but this time, they were more fearful than sad. "Yoshida-san? Are you okay?" I asked, merely out of concern for my partner.

She nodded fiercely, trying to rub the tears out of her eyes roughly. I was getting more and more worried for her as she clutched her heart and breathed in and out deeply, as though trying to purge herself of the mood. I hadn't seen anyone so scared like that, except for the time Yuri had a similar reaction to a rat under the table. Well... rather than clutching her heart, she clutched onto me, but hey, same thing, right? That was when it occurred to me, what it was that had gotten Yoshida so scared.

"Yoshida-san... you wouldn't happen to be scared of thunder, would yo-"

I was grabbed roughly by the front of my shirt, not quite lifted up. My eyes widened as Yoshida's mixed tears-and-rage filled face came up close to mine. "You. Will. Tell. No. One."

I was so shocked, I couldn't do anything but nod frantically. "Y-yes, ma'am!" With that, her hands loosened, but she collapsed, her fierce facade shattering instantly. As she crouched near the ground, she took another deep breath, then stood up, her face straight and dry.

"Let's get to the barrier." She said firmly, as though nothing happened. I nodded and quietly followed her there, where the strange, red-hooded man leaned against the invisible blockade.

When we came close, he stood up properly and murmured, "Objective met. Wall clear." More tom himself than us. With that, he walked away, in the opposite direction. I stared at him as he went off, slouching, hands in his pockets. Meanwhile, Yoshida tentatively put her hand out to the empty space where the barrier used to be. Her small hand came through easily, and she smiled with satisfaction.

"Kano-san! We can make it through now!" She reported delightedly. I broke my stare at the red-hooded man for only a moment.

"Oh... yeah. Let's go."

But when I looked back, the man had disappeared.

_That man knows too much. He acts confident, yet we can see him._

I glanced down at the player pin I'd kept hidden in my hand. _And I can't scan him either. He knows too much to be a player. The only thing left he could be is one of the reapers themselves._

"Kano-san! Come on!"

I shook myself from my thoughts and kept walking, out into the sunlight. Fortunately, or maybe unfortunately, excitement was just around the corner, as a roar like a bull blasted both me and Yoshida full in the face. "YOU!"

We turned to see a large, muscled teen with a skull cap covering his forehead. He was taller than both of us, and I tensed myself in anticipation. He came up to us threateningly and cracked his fists. "Heh...I got you punks now..."

My hand slid into my pocket. What pins did I have left? "You got us good yesterday," the threatening thug-lookalike continued, "but today, I'ma crush you, yo!"

I was ready to protect my partner if need be, but she put a hand on my shoulder and gently pushed me aside, stepping up to the taller man. "Who the hell are you?" She growled.

"Need a hint?" He growled back, towering over the girl. "Go ask your goddamn friends, they'll know."

I stepped up to him as well. "Make yourself clear, or get the hell out of our way. I have no idea what the hell you're talking about."

"Shut up!" He reared back, raising his fist in anger. "You ain't foolin' me! I can't scan you, you gotta be widdem!" He pulled out a Player pin. "You can't outsmart me, yo!"

I stood low, in a fighting stance, ready to stop the raging idiot in front of us. He clearly mistook us for reapers. Yoshida readied herself, standing by to defend against any attacks.

"Beat!" The shrill, female voice commanded from some distance behind the teen. "Stop it!"

The boy automatically turned around to see a little girl, some 10 metres behind him. She looked no older than 13, very short, but innocent-looking enough, wearing a simple shirt and shorts, with a matching skull-cap. "They're not reapers!" She said softly.

"Wha?!" The boy named Beat grunted. "B-but I can't scan 'em!"

"They have player pins with then, Beat. We must not be able to scan players" she explained, now smiling slightly. Beat was harder to calm down, and continued to look murderous, until...

"Oh." His face instantly melted into an expression of docile neutrality. Behind his back, Yoshida palmed her face, and I couldn't help but do the same.

_Failure..._

-:-

"Sorry bout that, yo..." Beat apologised lamely. "I really thought you were reapers."

"That's fine, everyone makes mistakes." I waved it aside. Yoshida seemed a little less open to these people, but took the fact that Beat had made a mistake into consideration.

"So... what happened anyway? You seemed to have something huge against Reapers."

"Yesterday, some pink-haired chick called a buncha noise up and sicked them onto us, before we could get to 104, they messed us up real bad, yo." He grimaced.

"Oh... So that's why you were out for revenge." Yoshida said aloud, partially to herself.

"Yup, so I... Wait, hold up." The large teen took a moment to backtrack. "...We should do the intros. Name's Beat." Beat introduced, somewhat unnecessarily. "And this is my..." He paused for a second. "...My partner, Rhyme."

"Nice to meet you!" Rhyme supplied cheerily. She seemed a little more level-headed than her large partner. I was a little sorry for her, realizing that she had died at such an early age.

Yoshida cocked her head to the side. "Are you sure you two are fine with us using your first names?"

Beat rubbed the back of his head. "It's fine yo, my full name's shit anyway." _Wow. Harsh much? _

"I'm fine as well" His miniature partner piped up.

"Well, My name's Kano Tensei." I introduced. "This is my partner, Yoshida Naomi." She inclined her head, as if made to do so by stage directions.

"Hey, I got it!" Beat exclaimed suddenly. "Lemme give you guys a tip for jumpin' yas! You figure out how to use your phones yet?"

_Phones? Like... our cell phones? _"Well... It's not like anyone's going to call the dead." I chuckled humorlessly.

"Messages don't work either." Yoshida added tonelessly. I stared. Had she tried to get out a message? "All they do is receive mission mail."

"Ah, well, they can do a little more than that." Rhyme explained. "When you're in battle with the noise, you can only use about 4 pins at a time. But using your phone data, it will pick out what pins you have!"

Now that was useful to know. "Thanks, that will help." Yoshida nodded appreciatively. "But... speaking of helping, any idea on today's mission?"

"Well, I dunno..." Beat looked up. "Gotta be something to do with Sunshine, the fast food stall, right?" I flashed a look at Yoshida, which she returned. "At least, that's what Rhyme thinks. I don't got a clue myself. But... do we have to finish all the missions?"

"What do you mean?" I frowned. "Of course we do. _Fail, and face erasure, _right?"

"Well..." Rhyme hesitated. "Thing is, Beat and I never made it to 104. The timers just... disappeared."

"So we don't gotta play?" Beat jumped to a hopeful conclusion. "Sweet!"

"I don't... really think that's it." Yoshida grimaced. "Maybe your timers disappeared because Kano-san and I got there first. So... at least one of us has to finish it." She looked up at us and asked archly, "I wouldn't want to find out what happens when it reaches zero, do you?"

There was an uneasy silence as our imaginations did the work. I broke it quickly, hoping to keep the air less awkward and depressed. "Well, thanks for all the info, it was really helpful."

"Ha ha... Just glad we could help one another." Rhyme smiled. "You know... we could keep helping each other. After all, two heads are better than one, so four has to be better than two, right?"

The offer lay there, enticing and mutually helpful. "Really? That would be-"

"Thank you so much for the offer." Yoshida cut in, surprising me. "But it would actually be a lot easier to work separately." She bowed slightly to the surprised pair. "No hard feelings at all, it's just... a little easier on me, if you don't mind."

"Well... I guess." Beat replied, uneasy again. Rhyme patted his shoulder.

"It's fine, Beat, I can see where she's coming from." She said, not taking her eyes off of Yoshida. "We'll see you around, guys. Good luck!"

And they left. The moment they did, I rounded on Yoshida. "What the heck was that for? We could have worked together!"

She looked me in the eye, a gaze of steel that was beginning to melt. "The less people we trust, the less chances there are of betrayal." Without waiting for an answer, she began to slowly walk ahead of me.

_...Something must be up with her, to make her so paranoid. But I guess everyone fears something, all for different reasons._

And I set off after her. It was time to find the shadows hiding in the sunlight.

**T/N: Yo.**

**Been a while, and I lost myself back in the SAO fanfic, so that side-tracked me. Thought I'd better update this. I'm once again writing on the fly with this, BUT I'm thinking of tiny little blips here and there that will add up to an interesting future.**

**Rather than have Neku and the gang in my world, I thought I'd replace the main two characters with my own. It leads to some predictability, but that's what I want, because just when you think you know the plot, that's when I'm going to hit the story with a twist.**

**Thanks for the support! Once again, shout-out to Amulet Misty's "Sanctuary", a very different take on TWEWY stories. Love it. Though she's clearly been playing too much Dream Drop Distance.**

**Reviews**

**Oh wait... just one.**

**Amulet Misty: Well, the game is indeed beginning :) Glad you like Yoshida, you get to see a stranger side of her this time round. She's a very... emotional character, I believe. In case you didn't get the link though, Tensei doesn't really ABSORB the pin. When he uses a pin, it's power increases tenfold, or to be more precise, "Times Ten". But in return, the pin is crushed and becomes unusable.**

**Well, thanks for reading guys, stick around, I promise more developement!**


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